Counting Stars
by angelsinstead
Summary: Professor Rick Payne is finally returning to Grandview. What will he find upon his return? Is there a chance for him and Melinda?
1. He's coming home

"He's keeping his promise," she said as she stared down at the letter in her hand. Professor Rick Payne's scrawled handwriting decorated the page.

"He's coming home," Melinda said as a tiny smile played upon her lips.

It had been a year. She sat down on a wooden bench in the square as children played in the distance. It had been OVER a year. But the Professor was finally returning to Grandview.

His sabbatical in the Himalayas had taken him from her. But just as he promised, he was coming home. "It's about time," she said as she folded up the letter and stuffed it in her purse.

Still, something haunted her about the letter. His plane was scheduled to arrive in Grandview on the exact same date of Andrea's death. Ironically, it was also the anniversary of the date Rick and Melinda had met four years before. "Be safe," was the last thing Melinda had told him before his exit.

"You better be safe," she said again as she stood up and walked over to her dark-red Jeep Cherokee. There was so much she had to tell him. Her life had changed so much since the professor had been gone.

As Melinda headed home, she drove by Professor Payne's house. She alone had the key. In the months he had been away, she had been the one to water his plants and care for his pet. She had written him many letters, but he had failed to answer a single one. Why?

It broke her heart that he chose to ignore her correspondence ... and then suddenly, over a year later, he sent word that he was coming home. Melinda did not understand. Was there a clue in his letter? No... she had reread it several times. There were no answers. Melinda remained clueless.

Why was Professor Payne suddenly returning ... and why had he left in the first place? Melinda would get all the answers. This time Professor Payne wouldn't get away. Melinda Gordon refused to back down.


	2. He's Home

Chapter Two

He had been away from Grandview for over a year. He assumed his pet was still alive since Melinda hadn't written to tell him of the rodent's demise. Surely his plants were all green and healthy-looking as he had asked Melinda to care for them in his absence as well.

He arrived at his house in Grandview. He stepped out of the cab and approached his front door. It just didn't seem like home anymore - this house he had shared with Kate. It had been a home when his wife was alive; but after her death, it had seemed like a deep, dark tomb. He needed to make some changes in his life and running off to another country really hadn't solved his dilemma. It was time he faced it head-on.

He was about to insert his key into the lock when the door slowly opened and he got a glimpse of Melinda standing in the foyer. "Melinda," he said in surprise.

A slight smile played on her lips as she told him that she had just dropped by to feed his gerbil and water his plants. "Thank you," he said as he stepped into the foyer, enfolding her into his embrace.

He inhaled her sweet scent as he held her against the strength of his chest. He remembered her tears and sadness when he had said good-bye. She had cried as if he were breaking her heart.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he pulled away and looked at her.

"I'm fine," she said but he saw the tell-tale tears shining in her eyes. "I missed you... and I am glad you're back. Why did you have to be gone so long?"

"You know me," he joked. "I can't resist a fun sabbatical. To be honest, those Himalayan women couldn't keep their hands off of me."

"I see you still have that same twisted sense of humor," Melinda spoke. Despite her words, she couldn't help but smile at his joke.

"Some things never change. So tell me, Melinda Gordon, what's new with you?"

"A lot," she replied. "Let's go talk in the living room. I'll catch you up on everything going on in Grandview, but first you have some explaining to do."

"I do?"

"Ohhh yes, you do."

She took his arm and lead him into the living room. "How's my pet and all my plants?" Rick asked as he sunk into the nearest chair.

"Your gerbil is doing good. As fat as ever," Melinda answered. "All of your plants survived. It's a miracle. I usually deal with the dead... not the living."

"I seem to remember that about you," Rick chuckled.

"I'm just going to ask this... and I want you to be honest with me. Completely honest. Why did you leave Grandview so suddenly? And why didn't you keep in contact with me? I wrote you letters - many, many letters - but you didn't answer a single one."

The professor took a deep breath, then he answered her question. "I had to leave... I was getting deep into a situation and I wasn't prepared."

"What does that mean?" Melinda asked as she sat down in the love-seat which was situated across from Rick's chair.

"I think deep down, you know what it means. You know more than anyone how hurt and how devastated I was when my wife cheated on me. You know I would never put anyone else through the agony I experienced when I found out that Kate was having an affair."

Staring into Rick's blue eyes, Melinda suddenly understood. "That night you were drunk, you said..."

"Yes, it almost came out. I didn't want your husband to have to suffer the way I did. I wouldn't wish that on anyone else. We were so close, Melinda, so close... and I couldn't cause your husband that kind of pain, so I ran away. I walked away just like a coward before I could tell you my feelings, before I persuaded you to do the same thing that Kate did to me."

"What makes you think I would have cheated on my husband?" Melinda demanded. "Why didn't you give me a choice in any of it? If you had asked me how I felt-."

"I am asking you now. How do you feel? Because I can't live like this anymore, not knowing. I need to know. I'm about to lose my mind," Rick stated as he ran his hand in an anxious swipe through his hair. "I still have feelings for you, Melinda... VERY deep feelings... and I can't stay away. I need to know."

"Melinda Gordon, are you in love with me?" Rick asked point-blank.


End file.
